Jack Mason (Jack Randall) has the most important job on the frontier. He delivers the mail. After he’s chased by the members of the local Indian tribe, he learns that an uprising is imminent because a young brave has been murdered and the tribe blames the citizens of a nearby town. Of course, the murder was actually committed by a gang of counterfeiters led by saloon owner Pollini (Tristram Coffin). Pollini is not only a counterfeiter but he also lies to sweet Mary Martin (Jean Joyce), telling her that he’s hiring her to be a waitress when he’s actually looking for a dance hall girl. Jack has to bring Pollini to justice before a full scale war breaks out.
This is not a bad B-western. It’s short and quick but the story is slightly better than the average Monogram oater and Jack Randall and co-star Dennis Moore are both believable as cowboys and gunslingers. Fans of the genre will be happy to see Glenn Strange as the sheriff and Iron Eyes Cody as the chief of the tribe. I’ve always liked westerns where the heroes were just trying to keep the peace so that they could deliver the mail. We take mail for granted nowadays but in the 1800s, delivering mail was almost as dangerous as delivering money. If you’re not into westerns, Overland Mail won’t change your mind but, if you’re already a fan of the genre, Overland Mail makes for an entertaining 50 minutes.


